Posts for : December 2015

Brushing enamel can turn out great. In high traffic areas there is no substitute for a gloss, oil finish. There are no products on the market that are water based that are as durable as the oil finish. It is also easier to brush than the water based products because they stay open longer (dry slower). Generally speaking, the longer a product stays open, the fewer brush marks you will see. To achieve a professional finish there are a few additives that we use to reduce brush marks. It is also a requirement that the applicator have experience. We did this Trolley care in downtown Minneapolis for The Old Spaghetti Factory. Hundreds of people go there daily to eat their delicious food and bang into, sit on, accidentally kick and spill on the booths in this trolley car. I received a durable finish with a professional look.

Safety is a concern for property owners. Especially near parking ramps and entrances/exits of buildings where thousands of people walk everyday. The question for a commercial painter is: Can you apply a durable coating that is washable and will last. The answer is yes. 100 percent solids epoxy are available but they need to be mixed correctly, applied correctly and in the correct conditions. Here is a picture of a job we did for an important customer in Bloomington. Some epoxy’s dry as hard as concrete, but they shouldn’t be applied by a first timer. We did the grey epoxy 5 years ago and its in nearly perfect condition to this day. They had us come back to apply epoxy to the gradual drop off area in safety yellow color. We added a sand aggregate for additional grip.

Often times I’ll hear from homeowners who want to change maple or oak (previously stained and sealed) to an enameled finish. The correct process can produce fantastic, durable results that last for a very long time. Every once and awhile I’ll see a site where a previous paint or homeowner tried to use a product that claimed to be “pro primer/pro prep.” Those products are fine so certain scenarios (extremely rare) but painting previously stained woodwork is not one of them. The correct process for achieving a completely quality finish is to 1. Sand all woodwork to create a profile. 2. Vacuum and De-Gloss the coating with a solvent (the correct solvent is important because if the previous coating was an oil you need to use the correct de-glosser like wil-bond but if the previous coating was water-based then you need to use something else) 3. Use the correct adhesion primer for the first coat. 4. Use the correct putty and caulk for all seems. Believe it or not the top coat you use after this is over-rated. Of course if you take the time to do it correctly then you won’t want to use the worst top coat and you’ll want to use an oil enamel or a alkyd hybrid enamel (I don’t love water-based enamel but the hybrid products are pretty good)

Attached are pictures of a job in Minneapolis where they went from Stained Maple to Enamel. The results were great.

Exterior Metal Items rust quickly in Minnesota. To maintain them it requires regular inspection and maintenance. On certain items that are required to carry a load (like a swing stage anchor, railing supports in high areas or stairwell headers) a professional engineer should assess them. On other items (anything aesthetic or any item that if it failed would not be a hazard) a professional painting company should be able to give you an assessment of the most pressing items in need of maintenance and painting. Items on commercial properties that often times require maintenance painting are: Light poles, light pole bases, railings, metal door frames, metal entry doors, garage doors, swing stage support brackets and anything made of steel that you want to maintain its professional appearance) A few great tools that we used on this project were: Angle sanders with vacuum attachments, professional scrapers, dispensers and the correct brushes and rollers. The products were Industrial rust inhibitive primers and enamels. Complete Custom Painting LLC Painted the Teal Railing at this High Profile Building in Plymouth.